


emily

by delorange



Series: i've always been a fighter, but without you i give up [2]
Category: Designated Survivor (TV)
Genre: Angst, But whatever, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Part 2, Pining, Spoilers, White House, but kinda au in the time between 2x10 and 2x11, but ofc she hasn’t, emily is in love with aaron, or i might just leave it at 2, pretty sure i overused the italics, set 2x11, she thinks she’s missed the boat, spoilers for that ep/before that, the next one might be an aaron part idk, theyve built up like a physical contact thing idk, u don’t need to read lyors part to understand it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28621230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delorange/pseuds/delorange
Summary: when emily receives news of aaron’s kidnapping, she thinks it may just be the end of the world.
Relationships: Emily Rhodes/Aaron Shore
Series: i've always been a fighter, but without you i give up [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088933
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	emily

**Author's Note:**

> aw i love this. i wish ds had more of a following, i’d love to read more of these two (i’ve already exhausted the tag lmao) thank you for reading, hope you enjoy!
> 
> edit: not me still checking this tag every day like a lemon 👁👄👁

Emily wouldn't admit it, but she kind of likes shouting at the junior staffers. Not for no reason, obviously, but when any of them step of out line she always volunteers to be the one to put them in their place. Aaron always mocks her eagerness, but he's not here, so if she takes a little too much pleasure in berating one of Seth's interns he'll never know. 

Aaron's gone to Cuba with a trade delegation for negotiations. Last night she pouted when he told her he'd be gone for a couple of days, but he just chuckled and left her bed with a kiss on the cheek. This morning, they shared an embrace in the privacy of her office just before he went. 

_(Then she kissed Seth, but that's inconsequential.)_

She likes being physically close to Aaron, hence the occasional bed-sharing - she has since her trip to Michigan at the very start of Kirkman's presidency, but Alex's death definitely heightened it. Post-disaster acceleration, and all that. 

_(Seth's planning their trip to Turks and Caicos as she speaks, but again, inconsequential)_

Lyor knocks on her door moments after the intern leaves. "Hey."

The greeting is so unlike Lyor she's immediately sceptical - usually he'd make a snippy comment, or forego formalities altogether. "What?" she asks cautiously. 

He purses his lips, teeters on the edge before he clicks his tongue, "Aaron's been kidnapped."

It takes a minute or two for the words to register. _Aaron's been kidnapped._

Emily's heart drops into her stomach. Outside, the sunny DC day shifts into a storm. Thunder reverberates in her head as she tries to create coherent thoughts, but she keeps repeating those three words over and over. Aaron's been kidnapped in Cuba and she's nauseous to the point that her head is spinning. 

She hears her blood racing in every vessel in her body, every pulse another strike of lightning to her resolve. She won't (can't) break down in the middle of the West Wing, she won't allow herself. Lyor studies her face, but remains silent.

Clearing her throat, she lifts her chin. She hears Aaron's voice in her mind - _be strong._ She strides past Lyor and out into the corridor, bursting into command ops and demanding answers. She needs to know that he's okay, at least, anything, she just needs-

_Aaron._

His face fills the screen on the wall, and to her relief seems completely unharmed. He's reading off cards, delivering a message, and her eyes well. He's right there, he's so close, yet so far away. She sniffs, and the President glances her way, but she doesn't look at him and composes herself. _Aaron's alive,_ she tells herself. It's all going to be fine. 

When he's replaced by the Cuban President, all attempts at composure fly out of the window. He was supposed to be ensuring their safety, and he couldn't even manage that.

"Mr. President, how did this happen?"

"I don't know, this delegation was a closely held secret." His innocence is flimsy at best, damning at worst. She refuses to believe he had no prior knowledge of this. Unsurprisingly, some would say, she's never felt as strongly about a mission in her career - she's nearly shaking from rage.

She steps forward, "Maybe the ELP has a spy in your administration."

He bristles. "Well, maybe someone in your delegation publicised the trip."

She opens her mouth with a retort on the tip of her tongue but Kirkman promptly shuts the blame game down - that, and Lyor dragging a finger across his neck to tell her to knock it off. She frowns at him while the President returns to the actual purpose of the call: gathering intel. It's intel Emily should definitely be listening to, but it's all she can do to stare at the Cuban President's face and try and will Aaron safely back to Washington with everything she has. 

They finish up and she just needs a moment alone, just to properly collect herself before she meets with Kendra about a financial disclosure, but Lyor follows her out of command ops all the way to her office. "I don't need a babysitter, you know."

She has a terrible feeling that he knows something about her and Aaron. The looks, the coddling, even the way he approached her initially... although it could likely be attributed to the moment of weakness Lyor witnessed that one time in Aaron's office (he didn't need to know that it actually happened on a regular basis.)

Add on to that his weird friendship with Seth, and she's definitely anxious. She can't gauge how much he knows, therefore how much to reveal, but she settles for a classic Aaron - "You didn't see anything."

He hums suspiciously but leaves her in peace without another word. She lets out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. 

No matter what she does, she can't get her mind away from Aaron. She hates herself for having so many regrets - not that he's going to die, she keeps telling herself. But she does a lot of things for ease, or to save face, or because she simply doesn't have the impetus to take it any further - it's necessary for her job, she has to be a jack of all trades. 

Seth, whatever's going on between them at the minute, is easy. They were friends for so long before developing into... this. It was a comfortable and almost natural transition, the logical next step, and she's happy, she likes him a lot, just not in the way she likes Aaron. 

Aaron has always been different, to every man she's ever met. She was attracted to him as more than a friend right from the off, even before Kirkman became President she would find her eyes lingering on the then-Deputy Chief of Staff. And then they got to know each other, properly, and she only enjoyed him more. 

The worst part is that she can still remember every detail of their kiss. Watching his tongue dart out to wet his lips. His hand grasping her waist far more gently than she'd ever thought him capable of. Gasping into his mouth and feeling him smile against her. Every single beautiful, painful detail. 

She finally allows herself a loud sob, with the door firmly locked and no appointments before Kendra. The problem is, once she starts she can't stop. Tears fall freely, burning tracks down her face without Aaron there to swipe them away with the pad of his thumb and tell her everything's going to be okay. In her adult life, he's the only person she's ever cried in front of. 

The sharp, stabbing pains in her chest with every inhale deescalate to a dormant ache just in time for a knock on the door. Had it really been that long? She stops in front of the mirror, tries to push Aaron out of her mind, and blinks back the fresh tears when it doesn't work as she opens the door. 

Kendra's exuberant expression immediately morphs into one of concern. "Are you okay?"

Kendra is not about to join Aaron's exclusive club. 

Emily nods (she doesn't trust her words just yet), and sits with Kendra on the couches. They go through boring legal paperwork Emily can barely focus on and agree to walk together to the President's strategy meeting. 

The military generals present try to sway him towards a show of force - Emily's inclined to agree. If it were up to her, she'd have every team they have going in and rescuing their men. Strangely (although not really, considering his recent state of mind), the President bats all their ideas off. "What other options do I have, aside from military?" 

Emily swallows. "Ransom..."

"Which is a non-starter," Lyor points out. Emily supposes she agrees, _we don't negotiate with terrorists,_ and all that. But if it's Aaron's best chance, she'd divert all of the country's monetary resources into it. Again, if it were up to her. She's starting to thank God she isn't. 

When the President says 'killing' and 'my national security advisor' in the same sentence, it throws Emily through a loop. This whole time she's known that Aaron's in danger, of course, thats the whole reason she's felt terrible all day, but to hear it actually said... _Aaron could die today._ But he won't. She hasn’t missed her chance. 

"What about a recon mission?" she suggests. He seems to enjoy that idea a little more, and sets it into motion, much to her relief. 

Afterwards, she returns to her office to call the Governor of Idaho and reschedule his meeting with the President (definitely not cry and knock back a glass of Aaron's bourbon) and then she's called back to command ops to watch the recon mission. Honestly the last place she wants to be, but if the President asks, she's there. 

They listen to the General talk to Tango One, until the transmission cuts out suddenly. Emily holds her breath as the table scrambles to reestablish a connection, but they fail, and yet another wave of dread crashes over her. Her optimism is slipping away with every minute that passes. Soon, she thinks, there'll be none left. 

She follows Seth to his press briefing as well, analyses his every word and confronts him afterwards like she would a junior staffer. It is her job, but Seth's her friend. Although, today, she doesn't really have an interest in friends. Or, more accurately, in Seth.

She questions Kendra about the legality of ransom on the way back to her office. She doesn't miss the look the lawyer sends to Lyor when he joins them, but she stays silent. Implicating herself with regards to Aaron would be the worst possible thing—

"We're getting Aaron back."

"Safe and sound."

Okay, so, Kendra and Lyor can be crossed of the list of people to hide from. They look at her with the same big doe eyes, full of warmth and concern she would never have expected from the two newer members of staff. Even Lyor seems to be experiencing a moment of typical human behaviour, and she honestly appreciates it. 

She does agonise: Is she really that transparent? Hopefully not to Seth, but honestly he's the least of her troubles. She's the youngest White House Chief of Staff, the first female to hold the post... she can't screw up the respect she's earned from all the old white men over Aaron. She would, but she can't. 

Luckily they seem too self-absorbed to notice her half-cry of elation when they finally figure it out - after Hannah signalled to them about Phillip Cross, Chuck did some digging and Emily rushed down to the basement to retrieve the evidence tying him to Roman Bravo. Then, they realised President Ortega was paying him off, and that was it. They had them. 

With the news of the hostages being released to a bus to the airport, Emily turns to Lyor, smiling genuinely for the first time that day. "We're gonna get him- them, we're gonna get them back." She feels like she's drowning in pure respite, all the weight she's carried around all day melting off her shoulders and leaving behind a lightness so comforting she thinks she could lift off at any moment. 

She carries that lightness all the way to eleven-thirty, when she gets a phone call from air traffic control at Dulles International Airport informing her Aaron's plane is landing in an hour. 

Lyor continues to hang around like a bad smell, even following her into the Oval Office to relay this information to the President. He nods and grabs his coat from the back of the chair, "I want to be there, can I get a car?"

"Thank you," he dismisses them, but Emily needs to take her chance. 

Yeah, maybe things hasn't worked out with Aaron before, but that was through no fault of either of there's. She had to investigate him, that was her job. Now, she wants to try again. She could've lost him today - that's threatening enough to give her the courage to do what she has to do. 

But first, "Sir, I would like to come too, to commend the trade delegation for their bravery."

"Yes, and I too would love to take part in the commendation." Emily shoots him a dirty look. Asshole. 

Kirkman gives her a look. She must look like a mess. The amount of times she'd scrunched her hair up into her hands, or scrubbed a hand over her face... add that to the feral look she knows she must be sporting and you might think she's gone mad. 

But Tom's look isn't one of scorn or contempt, it's one of compassion. He directs them into the car with him. 

As they get closer and closer to the airport, that pressure she’s felt all day begins to build again, and she feels her courage ebbing away with every mile. She’s vaguely aware of conversation around her, but all she can think about, predictably, is Aaron, and what she’s going to say to him when she sees him. She wonders how he is, whether he’s physically or mentally hurt, if at all, and quickly resigns not to dwell on it. She’ll find out soon enough. 

They are directed through the airport after a brief secret service check and out into the cold air at Gate 42. Her exposed cheeks sting, the only way she knows it’s freezing - she can’t find it in herself to feel anything other than anticipation. They watch from a safe distance as the plane lands, and then the trade delegation are disembarking. “Don’t suck his face off too hard,” Lyor supplies. His comment essentially goes unheard. 

She exhales a shaky sigh when Aaron appears at the top of the staircase. Her eyes water again, uncontrollably, and she dabs at her tears with her finger because she cannot let her mascara run in the presence of the President or Agent Wells, but her face splits into the biggest smile for a very long time. 

Then she realises what she’s doing, and she masks her emotion with indifference as Aaron and Hannah descend. Their eyes remain locked, even at this distance, and it teases her with a small dose of the comfort to come. Hannah follows the trade delegation, already on her phone to god knows who, but Aaron diverges and makes his way directly over to them. 

Tom steps forward and claps Aaron on the back. “Nice to have you back on home soil, Aaron.”

He smiles, “Glad to be back, sir.” And they can’t contain themselves any longer. 

She buries herself in his arms, sheds a tear into his shoulder. He keeps her anchored to him, face pressed into her hair. He’s back. He’s _okay._ She doesn’t want to let him go, not now or ever, but she’s aware of their company and reluctantly lets go of him, but they walk side by side to the motorcade, and he squeezes in next to her. 

She leans her head on his shoulder, makes it look nonchalant, but she needs the physical closeness right now, and she knows he does too. Aaron rests a hand on her lower thigh, blames the lack of room in the car. She doesn’t think anyone actually falls for it. 

They go to his office when they get back, and she melts against him. “I thought- I, I was so scared, Aaron. Are you okay? Is that a stupid question? God, I was so worried about you,” she rambles, and she thinks she’s crying but so is he and they’re together so nothing else matters. 

“I was scared too,” he admits softly, in the dark solace of an empty room, save the best listening ear he could ask for. “I knew we would be okay, I knew Kirkman would sort something out, but...”

She doesn’t say anything, she just lets him have his moment while she has hers. 

“Drink?” she offers, already moving to the cupboard where he keeps the bourbon. But he shakes his head, stopping her in her tracks. 

“I just want to go home, I think.” She nods and collects his stuff from where he left them that morning at his desk chair. God, she bets when he did that this morning he never expected the day to unfold like this.

He shrugs on his coat and has his hand on the doorknob when Emily touches his arm gently. “Wait, Aaron,” she manoeuvres over to the closet in the corner and pulls out his hoodie, the one she loves to wear so much. She hold it up to him, “Can I?”

He smiles, blowing out a breath.  
“You don’t need to ask. You can keep it, in fact.”

She shakes her head, “I like it smelling like you.”

His smile widens at that, and she tugs it over her head as they leave. 

An hour later, when she's curled up in a ball, leaning on Aaron's chest while they watch a movie, she tilts her face up to his. "I never thought you did it," she whispers. 

"What?"

She smiles sadly, like her admission will change anything. She meant to say something to him, something more meaningful than the few words they exchanged in his office. She’s left it too long now, though, and hopes this will... she doesn’t even know. She just needs Aaron to hear it. "When I investigated you. I knew you didn't do it."

Aaron's lips quirk up, and Emily watches, mesmerised by his entire face and longing for their time again, but only for a second, because he swoops down and captures her lips in a tender kiss. When he pulls away, a tear rolls down his cheek, "Thank you."


End file.
